The inaugural Soul Food and Sips event brought together Spokane’s Black community for an afternoon of food, culture, and connection in downtown Spokane. Co-planned by Julie Serquinia and organized through EEG (Educate, Entertain, and Get Stuff Done), the festival highlighted African American, Haitian, Jamaican, and African cuisines alongside local vendors and entertainment.
Serquinia said the goal was to celebrate the richness of the Black diaspora while also planting the seeds for long-term community impact. “We wanted to bring together different aspects of the African American and Black community. This first year was a kickoff downtown, but our vision is to build an annual block party in East Central’s Fifth Avenue corridor.”
While some chefs and food traditions weren’t fully represented this year due to licensing barriers, EEG sees that as part of the bigger mission: helping aspiring cultural chefs and entrepreneurs get the credentials needed to participate in Spokane’s festival economy. “We’d like to start a business incubator to show people how to get their paperwork in order so they can make good money at these events,” Serquinia explained.
Beyond food and fellowship, Soul Food and Sips is part of EEG’s broader effort to establish an Inland Northwest African American Museum. Fundraisers–including a sit-down Black History dinner, Soul Food and Sips 2, and even a Black rodeo–are planned to build momentum toward that vision.
“The East Central neighborhood was once the core of Spokane’s Black community,” Serquinia said. “Revitalization should happen by us, for us. Events like this show our biggest superpower–our knowledge of self and the power to come together.”